PITTSBURGH - A man credited with saving a 16-year-old stabbing victim last year was gunned down, apparently with an AK-47 or other assault-type weapon, Monday afternoon in the city’s Lincoln-Larimer neighborhood, police said.

Hosea Davis, 37, was shot at least 16 times before he was found dead about 12:45 p.m. Monday, according to Pittsburgh police, who continued to search for the shooter Tuesday.

It appears Davis, a father of five, was chased toward the alley where he was found slain, "and the evidence indicates there were additional rounds shot into the victim's back as he laid on the ground," police Lt. Kevin Kraus said.

News of the killing spread fast, and within minutes, distraught relatives of Davis were running to the crime scene.

For hours, people, including Davis’ mother, watched as homicide detectives interviewed witnesses and worked on the scene.

Seeing the medical examiner was too upsetting for one woman. She collapsed and was lifted into a nearby car.

“It’s a tragedy all the way around for the community and the victim,” said Cmdr. Timothy O’Connor, of Zone 5 police.

For police, controlling the crowd while protecting the crime scene wasn’t easy.

“We don’t know what prompted this killing, and detectives are here now trying to piece it all together,” said O’Connor.

Davis, who had a history of gun and drug convictions, was credited with saving Allison Meadows when a homeless man stabbed her and three other people at a Target store in the city's East Liberty section on March 25.

Witnesses said Davis stopped Leon Walls, 42, when he attacked Meadows and other shoppers that day. A preliminary hearing, which has been repeatedly postponed because of Walls' mental health issues, is scheduled for next month on charges including aggravated assault.

A witness said Davis jumped into the fray after Meadows fell down, her lung collapsed, after she was stabbed in the back.

His mother described him as a good man who was always willing to help others.

“I just wished the way he saved someone, that someone could have been there to save him. Help my son because that’s all I have,” Davis’ mother said.

"Target Hero Hosea Davis Memorial Fund" has been opened up at PNC Bank. Donations can be made at any PNC Bank. The mother and family of Hosea Davis wishes to thank everyone for their prayers and contributions for her only child.

Services will be held at Spriggs and Watson at 720 North Lang Avenue in Pittsburgh.

If anyone has information relating to this shooting, they are asked to call the Pittsburgh Homicide Division at 412-323-7161.